Canada will offer increased skilled worker visas in second half of 2017

Canada will offer increased skilled worker visas in second half of 2017

Canada will be offering increased skilled worker visas to overseas immigrant workers in second half of 2017 as it has already offered 51, 285 ITAs for Canada PR in the first half of this year. The total of ITAs offered in the first half of 2017 is more than thrice the total of 15,286 ITAs issued in the first half of 2016 by IRCC. It also exceeds the total number of ITAs issued by IRCC in the first half of IRCC ever since the launch of Express Entry by Canada in 2015.

The increase in the number of skilled worker visas offered by Canada is majorly owing to the fact that the CRS threshold for immigrant applicants in the Express entry pool has been decreased in the last 6 months. Out of the 16 Canada Express Entry draws held in the first six months of 2017, seven draws witnessed CRS scores dipping to the record lowest, as quoted by the CIC News.

Elaborating on the trends for the skilled worker visas for the second half of 2017 Attorney David Cohen has said that the second half promises to be great for overseas skilled workers given the total of ITAs issued in the first half of 2017. The improvements to express entry CRS scores by IRCC resulted in significant increase in the number of ITAs issued for skilled workers benefitting a large number of immigrant applicants. The trends in Express entry draws indicate that IRCC intends to have a large diversity and increase in the skilled worker visas, added Cohen.

IRCC had initially forecasted that the improvements to Express entry will result in the decrease in CRS scores and increase in the ITAs offered for Canada PR. This has come true and second half of 2017 could offer a number of skilled worker visas, said David Cohen.